The science of chocolate
- Wild or Introduced? The cacao populations in South America
Cacao has been moved around the globe by people for thousands of years. That makes it surprisingly difficult to tell whether a population of cacao trees is truly wild or the result of human transport and cultivation, making them introduced. This paper tries to tackle exactly that question, using genomic data. What motivated the authorsTraditionally, cacao variations were categorised into two main groups, Criollo and Forastero, with a third hybrid group, called Trinitario. Starting 2018, further studies showed this classification does not fully cover the genetic diversity present in the, by now, eleven identified populations: Amelonado, Caquetá, Contamana, Criollo, Curaray,… Read more: Wild or Introduced? The cacao populations in South America - Comparing cocao of 7 Indian grown cacao clonesWorking at a molocular laboratory, I thought it would be interesting to look at the genetics of cacao. I started looking and found this cool paper that looks at cacao growing in a country most people won’t directly associate with cacao: India, specifically in the unusual region of Terai.In this paper they compare several cocoa clones with each other, and ask which ones give the most promising quality beans after processing, looking at a lot of things that would be good to review when determining what genetic variety to eventually plant to get the best product (high volume and good… Read more: Comparing cocao of 7 Indian grown cacao clones
- Wood smoke gives cocoa beans smoky off-flavorsOne of the often recognised ‘off-flavours’ in cacao is a smoke-like flavour. It’s something I’ve heard people talk about frequently (as some people like it, though most consider it a defect); therefore, I thought this paper would be a great first pick for the first “the science of chocolate” post. What motivated the authors A lot of progress has been made to identify the odorants (smell molecules) responsible for the flavours in cacao. There have been 20-30 good (pleasant) ones identified, but there are also bad (unpleasant) odorants found. The authors wanted to look for the source of some of… Read more: Wood smoke gives cocoa beans smoky off-flavors
Chocolate posts
- Eurobean 2025
A summer full of chocolate…. Who would have thunk?Yes, August 2025, I visited the Industry museum in Chemnitz, where the EuroBean festival took place. I’ve heard about this festival several times, but never managed to make it there. Figured 2025 would be the year to rent a car and make my way. Even though I still had plenty of chocolate stock at home, I went with the familiar curious mindset: always on the lookout for the next interesting chocolate creation, looking for both new makers, and the ones I’ve come to love. The start of it all was a bit… Read more: Eurobean 2025 - Chocoa 2025 – Academy style
In February 2025, I attended Chocoa in Amsterdam. I scraped together some of my savings and purchased an Academy ticket. I booked a return train trip, asked Tessa (my fellow cacao enthusiast) if we could share accommodation, and headed to Amsterdam with a notebook, an open mind, and a lot of curiosity. Why was I there?Why go there for the week and not just enjoy the chocolate festival weekend? That’s a fair question, as I am not a cacao farmer, nor a chocolate maker. I don’t work in the cocoa supply chain. As a matter of fact, my job couldn’t… Read more: Chocoa 2025 – Academy style - Making drinking chocolate like the Aztecs (xocoatl)
I remember my first encounter with cacao. For our honeymoon in 2017, we planned a round trip through Costa Rica. Being so close to the equator, a chocolate tour was an absolute must. I had to dig around a bit, but eventually I found one at La Tirimbina in Sarapiquí, where we got to work hands-on and made chocolate in a traditional way (without machines). All the photos on this page were taken by me or my husband. After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at the small plantation, although it can hardly be called that, as only a few Theobroma… Read more: Making drinking chocolate like the Aztecs (xocoatl)
Nieuwste recepten
- Mon Chou Crunch Cup
- Karamel taart
- Brownies extra choco
- Lemonbars
- After Eight cupcakes
- Vanille vla
- Mini chocolade cupcakes
- Arretjescake met stroopkoeken
- Kokos tartelettes
- Witte chocolade framboos tartelettes met Zwitserse room
Food talk
- The big five: Vocht
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, vocht en suiker. Vocht wordt vaak vergeten of men ziet het niet gezien als een ingrediënt. Zelf vond ik dit de lastigste van de 5 om uit te leggen, vooral omdat het zo gigantisch veel omvat. Meestal (uitzonderingen nagelaten) is vocht onmisbaar in je baksel. De slogan van het stoepje “I Love Natte Cake” is bekend bij vele, maar hoe zit het nu precies met vocht? Hoe gebruik je melk, water en… Read more: The big five: Vocht - The big five: Suiker
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Suiker is een ‘hot en happening’ thema en het gebruik van verschillende soorten geeft een ander resultaat in je baksel. Hoewel ik zeker geen expert ben, deel ik graag met je wat ik na wat zoeken, luisteren, lezen en speuren heb geleerd over suiker. - The big five: Eieren
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Een ei hoort erbij! Of toch niet? Een ei is enorm veelzijdig en zeer voedingsrijk. Bakken zonder eieren is een uitdaging. Graag vertel ik jullie wat ik na wat zoeken, luisteren, lezen en speuren heb geleerd.
By Diënty 